Dutch King Willem-Alexander formally swore in a new minority coalition government in The Hague on Monday, ushering in an administration led by the Netherlands’ youngest-ever prime minister, Rob Jetten. At 38, Jetten faces the immediate challenge of building consensus across a fragmented parliament if he hopes to pass legislation and complete a full four-year term.
Jetten heads a three-party coalition comprising his centrist D66 party, the centre-right Christian Democrats, and the centre-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy. Together, the parties control 66 of the 150 seats in the lower house, leaving the government short of a majority and dependent on opposition support to advance any new laws.
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The swearing-in ceremony took place in the historic Orange Hall at the royal palace set in the woods on the outskirts of The Hague. Willem-Alexander wished the incoming administration success ‘in uncertain times’. Outside the palace gates, a small group of demonstrators from Extinction Rebellion staged a protest, sounding sirens as the new ministers assembled for the customary official photograph.
Following the traditional Cabinet photo on the palace steps, the government was set to convene its first Cabinet meeting to begin work. In a post on X, Jetten described becoming prime minister as ‘an enormous honour’ and said he was eager to get started.
The new administration was sworn in 117 days after national elections in which Jetten’s party narrowly defeated the Party for Freedom, led by anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders. The final outcome was confirmed only after postal ballots were counted, marking the fourth national vote in the politically fragmented Netherlands since 2017.
Jetten assumes office on the eve of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He has pledged to maintain strong Dutch backing for Kyiv in its fight against the forces of Vladimir Putin and to continue increasing defence spending amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty.